Last week, NAFDAC Director on Special Duties, Dr. Abubakar Jimoh affirmed the circulation of fake malaria tablet in Nigeria and urged health care providers and other members of the public to be on alert for such dangerous products and report such incidents to the regulatory body.

A statement also issued on its official website reads:

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control hereby alerts the members of the public on the circulation of fake Coartem tablets. The active ingredients on the sachet of fake Coartem tablets is wrongly written as artmethe/umfantrne while the manufacturer is written as NOVRTS.

The use of fake Coartem tablets may result in poisoning (due to toxic substances), treatment failure, development of resistance and even death.

The sachet of the fake Coartem tablets manufactured by NOVRTS with the wrongly written active ingredients as artmethe/umfantrne is as presented below:

The members of the public should note that the manufacturer of the genuine Coartem tablets registered by NAFDAC is NORVATIS PHARMA AG while the active ingredients are Artemether/Lumefantrine.

NAFDAC implores healthcare providers, proprietors of healthcare facilities, program managers and other members of the public in possession of the fake Coartem tablets to immediately submit the fake product to the nearest NAFDAC office.

Any member of the public with information on the distribution and sale of the fake Coartem tablets is requested to contact the nearest NAFDAC office for regulatory action.

Adverse events resulting from the consumption of the product should be reported to the nearest NAFDAC office, NAFDAC PRASCOR (20543 TOLL FREE from all networks) or via pharmacovigilance@nafdac.gov.ng.

NAFDAC…………Safeguarding the Health of the Nation!!!

Coartem is one of the leading and common brands of anti-malaria drugs in Nigeria.

Nathaniel is a News Reporting Intern at Nigerian Law Intellectual Property Watch (NLIPW). He has a passion for writing, capacity building and social media marketing. He is a graduate of Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he graduated with BTECHAGRIC. He is a member of Soil Science Society of Nigeria (SSSN) and the National Union of Campus Journalist (NUCJ). Nathaniel has served as Editor-in-Chief for a number of magazines and as a contributor to various online repositories. Email: anathaniel@nlipw.com

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